ABSTRACT
Apart from the consideration of theory and of the general shift in the content and orientation of development, geographers are commonly at pains to ground their ideas in observation of real world examples. Despite the onset of globalization, the best units for this observation are the individual states and their component regions. As there are such great differences between the advanced countries and those that are just now becoming industrial and urban, it is worth examining cases of both kinds. Within the countries, there are two kinds of observation to be made, first of the course of development and spatial pattern, and secondly, of the policies that have been followed to influence this pattern. For the advanced countries, two European countries are chosen: the UK and Spain.
